Privacy Policy

• Your Internet Identity Principal ID: a pseudonymous, cryptographic identifier derived from your device credentials. It is not your name, email, or any personal identifier beyond a random cryptographic string.
• Encrypted file ciphertext: the AES-GCM-256 encrypted bytes of your files. Without your master key, this data is computationally impossible to read.
• Encrypted file metadata: file name, size, chunk count, upload timestamp, and IV. File names are stored as encrypted strings; the platform cannot read them.
• Storage plan records: payment token type, block height, amount in token units, USD value at time of payment, storage size purchased, duration purchased, expiry date, and payment status.
• Guardian shard metadata: encrypted shard references and guardian Principal IDs for Shamir's Secret Sharing social recovery.
• Dead Man's Switch configuration: heir Principal ID, inactivity threshold (days), grace period (days), and last manual check-in timestamp.
• In-app notification records: notification type, message, read status, and timestamp.
• Audit log entries: canister-level events such as payment verification and withdrawal initiation (admin-only access).

• Your encryption keys, master key, or any key derivation inputs beyond your Principal ID
• Your file contents in plaintext — all decryption happens exclusively in your browser
• Your name, email address, phone number, or any personally identifying information
• Your IP address or geographic location
• Browser fingerprints, cookies, or any cross-site tracking data
• Browsing behavior, session activity, or usage analytics
• Any data from third-party advertising or analytics networks

All data is stored exclusively on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), a decentralized global blockchain network operated by DFINITY Foundation and independent node providers. There is no single data residency jurisdiction. Data is replicated across geographically distributed ICP nodes. VAULT does not use any centralized cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.). VAULT cannot selectively delete or quarantine data on individual nodes; deletion is broadcast to all replicas simultaneously via consensus.

Your Principal ID is derived from your Internet Identity anchor and device credential. It is a pseudonymous identifier and reveals nothing about your real-world identity. VAULT uses it to associate files, storage plans, and notifications with your account. It is visible in the admin audit log and stored in the canister's stable memory. If you lose access to your Internet Identity, your files remain encrypted on-chain but may be inaccessible without guardian recovery.

VAULT uses AES-GCM-256 with a unique random 12-byte IV for every file encryption. All encryption and decryption occurs in your browser using the Web Crypto API. Your master key is derived from your Principal ID using HKDF and is never written to localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB, or any persistent storage. The canister never receives your master key, your file key, or any decrypted data. This is a zero-knowledge architecture: even a fully compromised canister cannot expose your file contents.

When you make a payment, VAULT stores: your Principal ID, the payment token and amount (in token units), the USD value at the time of payment (permanent historical record, not updated with market price changes), the storage size and duration purchased, the block height for anti-replay protection, and payment status. Payment history is accessible only to you and the admin principal for audit purposes. VAULT uses the ICP Exchange Rate Canister (XRC) to fetch live token prices; no personal data is transmitted to XRC.

VAULT does not use third-party analytics, advertising networks, tracking pixels, or marketing cookies. VAULT uses the ICP Exchange Rate Canister (XRC) for live token prices. No personal data is sent to XRC. VAULT uses the Internet Computer's built-in ICRC-1 ledger canisters for payment verification, which are on-chain public infrastructure. DFINITY Foundation operates the Internet Computer infrastructure but has no access to your VAULT account data.

Files deleted via the UI are moved to Trash and remain there for a 7-day recovery window before permanent deletion from stable memory. Files in Trash count against your storage quota. Permanent deletion removes ciphertext from stable memory and reclaims quota immediately. Account deletion (GDPR erasure) removes all your file metadata, storage plans, guardian configuration, notifications, and account record. Guardian shards held by others for your account are flagged for deletion. All your data enters a 7-day grace period before permanent removal from stable memory.

Residents of the EU/EEA, Georgia, and other jurisdictions with privacy rights have the following rights: (a) Right of Access: you can view all your file metadata, payment history, and notifications through the VAULT dashboard; (b) Right to Erasure: use the "Delete Account" feature in Key Management for complete GDPR erasure; (c) Right to Data Portability: you can download and decrypt your files at any time using the Files page. To exercise rights not covered by in-app features, contact support through the Caffeine platform.

VAULT does not use tracking cookies or marketing cookies. The following data is stored locally in your browser: your selected language (localStorage key: vault_lang), your dark/light mode preference (localStorage key: vault_dark_mode). No other data is stored in your browser. VAULT does not use sessionStorage or IndexedDB for user data.

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Georgia (the country), specifically the Civil Code of Georgia and applicable data protection regulations. Data stored on the Internet Computer Protocol is subject to no single jurisdiction, as ICP nodes operate globally. For privacy-related inquiries, contact support through the Caffeine platform.

For privacy-related inquiries, data access requests, or GDPR erasure requests not covered by the in-app account deletion feature, contact support through the Caffeine platform. Do not contact DFINITY Foundation for VAULT-specific privacy inquiries.